Stand-up display tray and package using same

ABSTRACT

A package employing a stand-up tray provides a retail shelf display with the largest surface of the package facing the prospective buyer. In this upright position maximum label space or viewing of the package contents is available. The top edges of the sidewalls which define the tray cavity opening are inclined from a taller end wall to a shorter end wall rather than being perpendicular to the end walls. In its vertical position, the tray rests on the taller end wall which is perpendicular to all other walls and edges except the inclined sidewall edges. As a result, the tray cavity&#39;&#39;s opening is flared for compact nesting of trays before filling while giving a flat supporting surface for the upright tray.

United States Patent Artz [451 Mar.28,1972

[54] STAND-UP DISPLAY TRAY AND PACKAGE USING SAME [72] Inventor: KennethW. Artz, Mohnton, Pa.

[73] Assignee: W. R. Grace 8: Co., Duncan, SC.

[22] Filed: June 17, 1970 [211 App]. No.: 46,955

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 879,186 10/1961 Great Britain ..229/2.5

Primary Examiner-Joseph R. Leclair Assistant Examiner-Steven E. LipmanAttorney-John J. Toney, William D. Lee, Jr. and Edward J. Hanson, Jr

[5 7] ABSTRACT A package employing a stand-up tray provides a retailshelf display with the largest surface of the package facing theprospective buyer. In this upright position maximum label space orviewing of the package contents is available' The top edges of thesidewalls which define the tray cavity opening are inclined from ataller end wall to a shorter end wall rather than being perpendicular tothe end walls. In its vertical position, the tray rests on the tallerend wall which is perpendicular to all other walls and edges except theinclined sidewall edges. As a result, the tray cavitys opening is flaredfor compact nesting of trays before filling while giving a flatsupporting surface for the upright tray.

4 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMRN m2 SHEET 1 BF 4 FIG. I

INVENTORZ KENNETH W. ARTZ mm LABEL LABEL ATTORNEY FIG. 2

PATENTED MAR 28 I972 SHEET 2 BF 4 IO ."L' h INVENTORI FIG 5 KENNETH w.ARTZ mm... B. ATTORNEY PATENTEDMAF: 28 I972 SHEET 3 1F 4 INVENTOR:

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PATENTEnmzs 1972 3,651,930

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32 LABEL FIG. 9 FIG. IO

INVENTOR:

KENNETH W. ARTZ BY: 9mm... 9.66,

ATTORNEY STAND-UP DISPLAY TRAY AND PACKAGE USING SAME FIELD OF THEINVENTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A large number of goods both inthe food and non-food lines are displayed or sold in one form of a trayor another. In almost every instance the tray rests on its largest orbase surface. However, in this position the contents of the tray can beobserved without obstruction only from above. Also, to conserve space inretail displays it is usually desirable to stack product filled traysvertically. This stacking means that even using transparent trays andwrappers only a small edge or side portion of the contents can be seen;or, only a small edge portion of the package is available for a labelwhich the prospective buyer will see. However, when viewed from aboveall of the contents of a tray can be seen when transparent wrapping isused or a large surface is presented for labeling. Accordingly, it isone object of the present invention to provide a tray for a packagewhich can be placed on a shelf so that its entire contents may be seen,or so that its largest surface is available for labeling.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tray for apackage which will be stable as it stands on one ofits narrow ends on ashelf.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a tray for apackage which will stand upright for displaying purposes and will resthorizontally for opening and serving.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a tray, whichbefore being loaded with product, is compactly nestable and will de-nestfreely.

These and other objects accomplished by the present invention willbecome apparent from the following summary of the invention and thedetailed description of a preferred embodiment with reference to thedrawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the broadest aspect, the present inventionis a stand-up display tray and package using same. Maximum label spaceis available and full viewing of package contents is possible when atray is placed on a shelfin an upright manner. The top edges of thesidewalls and end walls of the tray form a periphery which defines thetray cavity opening. This periphery lies in a plane inclined withrespect to the base wall of the tray, the base wall being the supportingsurface for the tray contents when the tray is in a horizontal position.The inclined opening or cut surface of the tray makes possible a flaredcavity opening for compact nesting of the trays before they are filledwhile also permitting a right angle between the taller end wall (bottomsupporting surface in an upright position) and the base wall (bottomsupporting surface in a horizontal position).

In another aspect, the invention is a molded, one piece, display trayhaving at least one cavity for receiving a product. The tray comprises abase wall, two end walls rising from the base wall, and two side wallsjoining the two end walls. One of the end walls is taller than the otherand the sidewalls slope from the height of the taller end wall to theheight of the shorter end wall. The taller end wall is approximatelyperpendicular to the base wall and this taller wall serves as the bottomof the tray when the tray is in a vertical, upright position. Theshorter end wall is preferably inclined away from the taller end wall toprovide a flare at its end of the tray. The upper edges of the end wallsand the side walls are joined and form a continuous edge which definesthe opening to the tray cavity. This edge defining the opening of thetray cavity will lie in a plane which is at an acute angle with theplane of the base wall. This means that the plane of the taller end wallwill make an angle of greater than 90 with the plane of the wall edgeswhen the angle is measured counterclockwise from the taller end wall.

In a more limited aspect the present invention comprises a tray asdescribed above which includes a peripheral flange around the opening tothe tray cavity. This peripheral flange extends outwardly from thewalls.

In a still more limited aspect, the present invention is a packageemploying the above described tray having a product loaded into the traycavity. The wrapping material for the package encloses the tray and theproduct and the wrapping material is in the form ofa bag or tube whichis closed by having an upper and lower sealed seam. To enable thepackage to stand upright on the shelf the seam is folded under theflange extending from the taller end wall of the tray thus providing astable base for the package as it stands upright.

The trays of the subject invention may be formed from any clear oropaque materials which lend themselves to molding. Typical of suchmaterials are paper, plastics, and metal. Preferred paper materialswould be pulp and fiberboard; preferred plastic materials are thethermoplastics including polystyrene, polyesters, polyolefins, andpolyamides; and, preferred metals are aluminum and steel foil.

Trays and packages within the scope of the invention may be single ormulti-compartment and of varying depth, width, or dimensionalconfiguration. The invention contemplates the packaging of both food andnon-food items. A particularly advantageous utilization of the subjectinvention in the food line is with bakery products such as cookies andthe like. However, the invention is also useful for the packaging anddisplay of cheese, fresh or frozen meat cuts, and poultry in whole or inpiece.

A better appreciation of the subject invention can be had from thedrawings and the following detailed description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of oneembodiment of the package of the subject invention showing the packagestanding in its upright display position;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the package of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view from the top of the tray used in the package of FIG. 1when the tray is in horizontal and not upright position;

FIG. 4 is a view of the tray shown in FIG. 3 looking from the lower sideof FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view of the tray of FIG. 4 looking from the left hand sideof FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view in partial section of the tray used inthe package of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view ofa tray used in FIG. 6 with productfilling the tray cavities and the tray being overwrapped to form apackage;

FIG. 8 shows a schematic section ofa stacked array of the trays shown inFIGS. 3 through 5 to illustrate the nesting features ofthe presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of an alternate embodiment of thepresent invention; and,

FIG. 10 is a front view of the alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The preferred embodiment of thesubject invention is shown in FIGS. 1 through 8 and the followingdescription will refer to those figures. In this embodiment, the traycavity has been divided into three compartments of relatively equal sizeand the compartments are designed for receiving disc shaped bakery itemssuch as cookies.

FIG. I is a side elevation of the cookie package of the preferredembodiment. Tray 1 is enclosed in wrapping material 2 which is in theform of a bag having a lower seam 14 and an upper seam 13. FIG. 2 is afront view of FIG. 1 showing the lower compartment 4, the middlecompartment 5. and the upper compartment 6, all of which contain theproduct or cookies 3.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 through 5, the out line or upper peripheraledge 8 of the walls is seen. Extending outwardly from this upperperipheral edge 8 is flange 10. The flange width may vary around thetray periphery depending on cavity arrangement. From flange l0, flangewall 11 rises. The top edge of flange 11 is approximately parallel tothe upper edge of the tray opening 8. In this embodiment grooves 7 areprovided for receiving the cookies and for strengthening the walls. Thetray base line of bottom wall 12 is also the taller of the two end wallswhich define the ends of the tray as it lies in its horizontal positionas shown in FIGS. 3 through 4. Indentations 15 are provided at thejuncture between flange l and the walls defining the cavity of the tray.These indentations 15 enable a stacked group of the trays to de-nestfreely. From the top, the de-nesting' members 15 appear as indentationsbut from the bottom and side of the tray they appear as projections.When stacked, the projections of one tray rest on the flange of the trayimmediately below. The projections are staggered so that they are not inthe same place for succeeding trays. These projections and correspondingindentations l5 serve to keep the surfaces of stacked trays separated sothat partial vacuum will not be formed thus hindering separation of thetrays.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view in partial section of a package similar tothat shown in FIG. 1, the view in both instances being from the side.FIG. 6 is a related view ofa tray in essentially the same position asthe tray shown in FIG. 7 but in FIG. 6 the product or cookies 3 and theoverwrapping or bag 2 is missing. Line 9 shown in both figures is theedge of the base wall plane which serves as the supporting surface ofthe tray cavity when the tray is in a horizontal position such as shownin FIG. 4. The base wall plane 9 is perpendicular to the plane of thetaller end wall 12 and when in the position shown in FIG. 6 this basewall plane 9 will not be perpendicular to the surface on which the trayrests due to the projection of flange 10. Thus, base wall plane 9 variesfrom perpendicular by a small angle 0. In FIG. 7 the bag 2 is shown withits seam l4 folded under the taller end wall 12. This seam compensatesfor the angle 0 and enables the package to stand upright perpendicularto the shelf or other supporting surface. As can be seen from FIG. 7,the package rests on the seam 14 and on the flange 10. As variouspackaging materials are used the width of flange will have to be variedto compensate for the thickness of the seam 14. Thus, the center ofgravity (CG. in FIG. 1) of the package is symmetrically located withrespect to the package's supporting surface.

In FIGS. 4 and 8 an essential feature of the subject invention can beappreciated. FIG. 8 shows a stacked array of the trays of the preferredembodiment. In order to provide a flat surface against which seam 14(see FIG. 7) may rest, taller end wall 12 must be approximatelyperpendicular to base wall plane 9. However, if taller end wall 12 isalso perpendicular to cut line 8 (the plane of the upper edge of theside walls) to form a rectangularly shaped tray, then there can be nocompact nesting of the trays as shown in FIG. 8. In other words, theremust be a flared opening in order for there to be nesting. Accordingly,it has been surprisingly found that such a flared opening may beprovided by sloping the out line 8 away from the horizontal at an acuteangle 1 The angle 1 is shown measured from two different points ofreference, one as shown in FIG. 4 and the other as shown in FIG. 8. Asshown in FIG. 4, the cut line or the plane containing the edge definingthe opening of the tray cavity 8 is at an angle greater than 90 from theplane of the taller end wall 12 when the angle is measuredcounterclockwise. The angle is greater than by the acute angle '1 FIG. 8clearly shows how the provision of the sloping out line 8 enables theend wall 12 to be perpendicular to the base line 9 and at the same timean opening flared by the amount represented by the angle 1 is provided.In this embodiment, 1 is approximately 8.

In the preferred embodiment, compartment or intermediate walls 16 and 17are formed by indentations in base wall 9 (See FIGS. 3 to 5) whichconnect side walls 18 and 19. These intermediate walls divide the traycavity and define the three compartments'4, 5,' and 6.

ALTERNATE EMBODIMENT FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate an alternate embodimentof the present invention. FIG. 9 is a side view and FIG. 10 is a frontview. Tray 31 which is filled by product 33 is overwrapped or enclosedin bag 32 having upper seam 35 and lower seam 36. Flange 37 extendsoutwardly from the out line 34. The out line 34 also defines the openingto the tray cavity. End wall 38 is at right angles to base wall 39 andangle I the angle of slope of the out line 34, provides a flared openingfor compact nesting of the trays. In a tray shown in FIGS. 9 and 10,products such as cake, cheese, meats cuts, or even whole chicken can bepackaged and displayed.

Angle I may vary from being as small as 3 or 4 to as much as 25 to 30depending upon the tray configuration. Preferably, the range of use willvary between 5 and 15.

I claim:

1. A package comprising:

a. a stand-up, nestable tray having at least one cavity for receiving aproduct comprising:

1. a base wall serving as the supporting surface of the tray cavity whenthe tray is in a horizontal position;

2. two end walls rising from said base wall, one end wall beingtallerthan the other, the taller wall being approximately perpendicular tosaid base wall; the taller wall serving as the bottom of the tray whenthe tray is in a vertical, upright position;

3. two side walls joining the two end walls, the upper edges of all ofsaid walls forming a smooth continuous edge defining the opening to thetray cavity, the upper edges of said side walls sloping from the tallerend wall to the shorter end wall so that the plane in which the upperedges of said side walls lie forms an acute angle with the horizontaland provides the tray with a flared cavity wall whereby the empty traysare compactly nestable;

4. a peripheral flange around the opening to said tray cavity, saidperipheral flange extending outwardly from the end and side walls;

b. at least one product being disposed in the cavity of said tray; and,

c. a bag enclosing said product and tray, said bag having a seampositioned adjacent said taller end wall, said flange extending fromsaid taller end wall being of approximately the same thickness as saidbag seam.

2. The package of claim 1 wherein a plurality of cavities are formed inthe tray thereof by a corresponding number of intermediate wallsconnecting the two side walls.

3. The package of claim 1 wherein the tray is of one-piece construction.

4. The package of claim 1 wherein the tray is clear.

1. A package comprising: a. a stand-up, nestable tray having at leastone cavity for receiving a product comprising:
 1. a base wall serving asthe supporting surface of the tray cavity when the tray is in ahorizontal position;
 2. two end walls rising from said base wall, oneend wall being taller than the other, the taller wall beingapproximately perpendicular to said base wall; the taller wall servingas the bottom of the tray when the tray is in a vertical, uprightposition;
 3. two side walls joining the two end walls, the upper edgesof all of said walls forming a smooth continuous edge defining theopening to the tray cavity, the upper edges of said side walls slopingfrom the taller end wall to the shorter end wall so that the plane inwhich the upper edges of said side walls lie forms an acute angle withthe horizontal and provides the tray with a flared cavity wall wherebythe empty trays are compactly nestable;
 4. a peripheral flange aroundthe opening to said tray cavity, said peripheral flange extendingoutwardly from the end and side walls; b. at least one product beingdisposed in the cavity of said tray; and, c. a bag enclosing saidproduct and tray, said bag having a seam positioned adjAcent said tallerend wall, said flange extending from said taller end wall being ofapproximately the same thickness as said bag seam.
 2. two end wallsrising from said base wall, one end wall being taller than the other,the taller wall being approximately perpendicular to said base wall; thetaller wall serving as the bottom of the tray when the tray is in avertical, upright position;
 2. The package of claim 1 wherein aplurality of cavities are formed in the tray thereof by a correspondingnumber of intermediate walls connecting the two side walls.
 3. Thepackage of claim 1 wherein the tray is of one-piece construction.
 3. twoside walls joining the two end walls, the upper edges of all of saidwalls forming a smooth continuous edge defining the opening to the traycavity, the upper edges of said side walls sloping from the taller endwall to the shorter end wall so that the plane in which the upper edgesof said side walls lie forms an acute angle with the horizontal andprovides the tray with a flared cavity wall whereby the empty trays arecompactly nestable;
 4. a peripheral flange around the opening to saidtray cavity, said peripheral flange extending outwardly from the end andside walls; b. at least one product being disposed in the cavity of saidtray; and, c. a bag enclosing said product and tray, said bag having aseam positioned adjAcent said taller end wall, said flange extendingfrom said taller end wall being of approximately the same thickness assaid bag seam.
 4. The package of claim 1 wherein the tray is clear.